segunda-feira, 24 de agosto de 2015

..."Five years ago such an enterprising resurgence would have been unimaginable. Portugal was one of the hardest hit in Europe during the last financial crisis, and just four years ago was deep in recession. Entrepreneurship was almost non-existent.Today this nation with its history of maritime exploration, is leading a new expedition, a voyage of entrepreneurial discovery trend that many expect to continue for years to come".

The Parque Nacional El Ávila consists of a steep verdant mountain running about 90km east-west along the coast. It separates Caracas from the sea and it is crossed north to south by a few 4WD tracks and the cable car.

and has a fantastic landmark visible from almost every point in the city: the circular 14-story Humboldt hotel built in 1956.

It was closed when the cable car stopped running but they say renovations are underway to reopen it in 2016.

We climbed the Ávila to have lunch in a restaurant that had breathtaking views of the mountain and the Caribbean Sea stretching away to the horizon (it is very often foggy, but fortunately it doesn´t last for too long).

On the way back to Caracas a tree fell on the road preventing the jeep to go any further- we had to go down the other way (to La Guaira)

terça-feira, 18 de agosto de 2015

Rua Nova do Carvalho, also known as Pink Street (A Rua Cor-de -Rosa), because of the colour of its pavement, is on the list of the 12 favourite streets in 12 European Countries, in an article published by The New York Times.

"You’ll find robust tapas dishes at Povo (Rua Nova do Carvalho 32-36), but the real star is the Portuguese language itself. Within the intimate chapel-vaulted,candlelit space, local poets give readings and young practitioners of fado,Portugal’s melancholy folk music, perform concerts. It all goes down smoothly with Povo’s several varieties of caipirinhas (€6)...

segunda-feira, 17 de agosto de 2015

Parque Nacional Canaima is on the Unesco World Natural Heritage list. This Venezuelan park is comprised of 30.000 sq Km in area, touching upon the borders of Brazil and Guyana, including most of the Gran Sabana.

In the park you will find unique flat top mountains called tepuys, all of which are very old rock formations. The most outstanding tepuy is Auyan Tepuy with a total surface of 700 km2, where, at its peak, you can find the world’s highest waterfall.

The park is a breathtaking jungle-paradise. We visited it with a guide who accompanied us from Caracas to Puerto Ordaz and then, from there, to Canaima (by plane).

Later, some Indian guides took us on board handmade canoes (curiatas) through the Carrao river, and then led us on foot across rough trails in the jungle to visit one of the natural wonders of the world: Angel Falls.

In the jungle

Angel Falls from the river on the way back to Canaima at 6 am

ANGEL FALLS

SALTO ANGEL

It was named after an American pilot, Jimmie Angel, who saw it for the first time in 1937.

Ruth Robertson (1905-1998) - a photojournalist, war correspondent and explorer - was the first person to lead a successful expedition to the base of Angel Falls in 1949, proving that it was indeed the highest waterfall in the world. It took her 23 days to reach it by boat, rowing on her way across difficult currents and treacherous rapids.

There are no road connections to Angel Falls; we can only visit it by boat from Canaima or by a small plane or helicopter.

We tried both means of transportation, but I must admit that I found the river trip more exciting; it was amazing to witness the amazing tepuys growing gradually in height upon the horizon.

Of course, the trip is faster by plane, insofar as you avoid a 6 hour trip on a narrow - engine propelled - canoe, followed afterwards by a 2 hour hike across harsh terrain.

When we finished that awesome trip, we headed (exhausted) to a camp, where we “slept” in hammocks before returning to Canaima on the next day.

The plane ride is only 30 minutes but not as exciting, although it was my first trip on such a small plane (5 passengers plus the pilot).

Back to the hotel in Canaima

The whole trip was, no doubt, a lifetime experience, one that my family and I will surely recall forever.